Entrepreneur of the Week: Skip Stone

Each week we highlight entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry so our viewers can learn who is behind the team of the upcoming and leading businesses, organizations, and non-profits in the industry.

This week we would like to introduce Skip Stone, Founder of Stashlogix. As Skip mentioned to us what seemed like a lifetime ago, (less than two years ago), he was the VP of an Industrial Water Treatment Equipment sales company. Although he enjoyed his career, the prospect of starting over in an industry he was passionate about became too hard to ignore. He finally made the leap and launched Stashlogix in 2015.

In our interview we asked to Skip a variety of questions sharing about his experiences, he had some insightful information and advice to share with each of you.

Please share with our viewers, a little about Stashlogix.

Skip Stone: STASHLOGIX makes thoughtful, secure, and safe personal travel and storage cases for cannabis. Our patented storage cases have integrated combination locks, odor control, and superior storage jars. We want to disrupt the negative stigmas about cannabis by helping people store Cannabis, or pharmaceuticals, out of reach of kids, pets or any snoops.

Why did you decide to get into the cannabis industry?

Skip Stone: Necessity is the mother of invention; basically, I scratched my itch. I discovered low-dose gummy bears in 2013 and knew these would be game-changing products that would appeal to many more people than just “stoners.” Micro-dosing with repeatable and familiar results was pretty revolutionary to me. In January 2014, the 1st month that Colorado legalized recreational cannabis, I had an epiphany – someday people worldwide would have access to many strains and infused products but how would they store and organize it all? And most importantly, how would they keep it out of kids hands? So I created a solution – STASHLOGIX.

What is the best piece of advice you can give to others looking to launch a company in the cannabis industry?

Skip Stone: As in life, it comes down to who you know, hard work, and luck. Become part of the community, attend events, volunteer and help people. Remember, what comes around goes around. The industry is still developing, and that is both good and bad; still, opportunities and challenges abound. Be ready for a wild ride.

Launching a product is tough in any industry, what is the biggest lesson you learned about starting Stashlogix?

Skip Stone: By and large, dispensaries are not focused on accessories; their focus is on selling cannabis. In Colorado, we are beginning to see the shift to better merchandising and offering more ancillary products. California and many other states are slow to move in that direction but will soon catch up.

How do you stay balanced? Any hobbies outside of your work?

Skip Stone: For one, you need to love what you do because as a start-up you’ll be immersed in it for many years. STASHLOGIX has become my main hobby but when time permits I’m on my mountain bike to maintain some balance. Mountain biking, or any physical activity, can be a great stress reliever.

Is there anything that surprised you about being an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry?

Skip Stone: Federal illegality affects every cannabis business, even a product like ours. We aim to protect kids from accidentally consuming edibles, but we’re not above the fray. Prepare to have some sleepless nights; thankfully, cannabis can help with that.

How can we as an industry continue to make a positive difference in society?

Skip Stone: We need to break decades of negative stigmas. There is plenty of positive information out there about cannabis; many of these discoveries are relatively new. Learn the talking points and attempt to refute the misinformation when you can. A great example was the petition by Americans for Safe Access to the Department of Justice that the DEA’s website contained lots of misinformation. They cited a violation of Information Quality Act, and it worked. This type of action can happen at a local level too. We also think our product helps cannabis consumers be responsible, even though from a safety perspective prescription medication is far more dangerous.